The American Gourd Society
is pleased to offer the following publications of interest to gourd growers
and crafters. A link to a printable order form with further instructions
can be found at the end of the publications list.
You may also order with a PalPal account or major credit card by using the shopping cart buttons.
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Prices in red are items currently on sale at reduced prices!
# AGS 010 |
THE GOURD BOOK
by Charles B. Heiser - $25.00 An adventure with gourds. A world-wide journal of information on the uses, myths and fables surrounding the gourd. A must for the gourd enthusiast wishing to expand his/her knowledge on the subject of gourds. |
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# AGS 012 |
MAKING
GOURD MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
by Ginger Summit & Jim Widess - $14.95 Over 60 string, wind & percussion instruments & how to play them. Covers Idiophones, Membranophones, Chordophones and Aerophones. (Softcover book) |
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# AGS 014 |
GOURDS
IN YOUR GARDEN
by Ginger Summit - $18.95 At Last! A complete easy-to-use guide to help you: Identify gourd shapes, plan and prepare a garden, grow gourds and prepare gourds for use --- from recipes to art projects. |
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# AGS 015 |
THE
COMPLETE BOOK OF GOURD CRAFT
by Ginger Summit - $19.00 This is the best and most current book on gourd craft, covering curing and cleaning, finishes, paints and pigments, pyrography, basketry and more. Hundreds of color photos of contemporary and traditional work, with 22 step by step projects. |
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# AGS 017 |
THE
GOURD JOURNAL
by Eva Palwak - $6.00 This book compiles the Gourd Bulletins the American Gourd Society has published over the years. These bulletins have been updated and new information has been incorporated into the book on growing, curing and crafting on gourds. This is a great book for beginners and seasoned gourders. |
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![]() # AGS 024 |
MEMBERSHIP
IN THE AMERICAN GOURD SOCIETY
Includes four (4) quarterly issues of The Gourd, the AGS Magazine. | ||
# AGS 028 |
THE
WEEKEND CRAFTER: GOURD CRAFTS
by Ginger Summit - $14.95 20 Great Projects to Dye, Paint, Carve, Bead and Woodburn in a weekend. |
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![]() # AGS 041 |
GOURDS
FROM VINE TO DESIGN
by Donn Kelver - $24.95
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![]() # AGS 043 |
#1 How To Draw & Woodburn Feathers on a Gourd
$6.00 Nine pages of step by step instructions with drawings and Color Photos. |
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![]() # AGS 044 |
#2 How To Weave Decorative Sinew on a Gourd
$6.00 Eight pages of instructions and Stitch worksheets. |
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![]() # AGS 045 |
#3 How To Clean & Cut Gourds
$6.00 Step-By-Step Instructions with answers to: When A Gourd is Dry;Remove mold stains; Cut opening or remove top; Clean inside & save seeds, etc... |
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![]() # AGS 046 |
#4 How To Draw & Woodburn Egg Gourds With Symmetrical Geometrics
$6.00 Eight pages of step by step instructions, techniques useful on all size/shape gourds. Learn tricks to "Eyeballing" measurements. |
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![]() # AGS 047 |
#5 How To Woodburn Mushrooms on a Gourd
$6.00 Ten pages of step- by-step instructions, technique useful on all size/shape Gourds. Patterns for many species of Mushrooms. |
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![]() # AGS 048 |
#6 How To Draw & Woodburn Florals on a Gourd
$6.00 Techniques & Tricks for making Symmetrical Flowers, Vines, Flourishes, Leaves. Grasses, cattails, Tulips, Dragonflies, Daffodils, etc. for scenes/Borders/Filler. |
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![]() # AGS 049 |
#7 Choosing & Using Dyes & Paints, etc. for a Gourd
$6.00 Reviews of: Acrylics/House Paint-Leather Dye-Artists'Oils-Polishes/waxes-Egg/Food Dye-Markers-Oils Polyurethane-Beeswax-Varnish-Wood Stain Qualities, Applications, Disadvantages. |
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![]() # AGS 050 |
#8 How To Create Polymer Clay Designs
$6.00 Step-By-Step Instructions on How To Make Colorful Clay Canes. Ways to apply it to Gourd Art. |
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![]() # AGS 051 |
#9 How To Create Pine Needle Rims
$6.00 with Three Basic Stitches-Photos/Drawings-How To Dye Pine Needles. |
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![]() # AGS 052 |
#10 How To Do Gold Leafing on a Gourd
$6.00 Step-By-Step Instructions & Background History on Gold Leafing. |
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![]() # AGS 053 |
#11 How To Draw & Woodburn Southwestern Designs on a Gourd
$6.00 Instructions, Tips and Ideas on Primitive Designs you can use. |
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![]() # AGS 054 |
#12 How To Draw & Woodburn Celtic Knots
$6.00 Instructions & Worksheets with background history on Celtic Knotwork. |
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![]() # AGS 062 |
Gourd Fun for Everyone
by Sammie Crawford - $22.99 Nineteen step-by-step projects for painting and decorating gourds. |
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![]() # AGS 069 |
Gourd Pyrography
by Jim Widess - $14.95 "Draw" incredible designs on gourds using inexpensive wood-burning pens. A host of talented artists show you how to carve in great detail, as well as how to fill dark color into a design, making this exciting craft more accessible and simple than ever. From how to choose and prepare a gourd to helpful hints for burning the motifs, you'll be able to create both practical and decorative objects, including bowls and jewelry. |
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# AGS 070 |
Ideas for 30 Gourd Rims
by Kathy James - $6.00 (#13 from the Primitive Originals Workshop Series) 11 pages: Techniques, drawings, and ideas for both traditional and unique rim treatments. |
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# AGS 072 |
How to Make a Shekerie from a Gourd
by Kathy James - $6.00 (#14 from the Primitive Originals Workshop Series) Step-by-step instructions on how to make a traditional African shekerie plus variations on beading grids for future projects. |
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# AGS 073 |
How to Make Hawaiian Musical Instruments
by Jim Widess - $14.95 Hawai'i has a rich musical heritage that is carried on in the rhythmic beat of the ipu and resonant pounding of pahu drums at hula performances throughout the Islands. While many of the musical instruments that accompany hula today can be traced back to early Polynesian roots, others-including the ipu heke (gourd drum), ipu hokiokio (gourd nose flute) and `uliuli rattle-are considered to be uniquely Hawaiian, found nowhere else in the world. In the past, the only written information available on making Hawaiian musical instruments lay in the dusty notes of early anthropologists. Now, for the first time, the manufacturing processes of eighteen traditional Hawaiian musical instruments are documented with carefully researched instructions and step-by-step photographs in an easy-to-follow craft guide. |
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# AGS 074 |
Clipart Designs for Woodburning and Tracing
by Kathy James - $6.00 (#15 from the Primitive Originals Workshop Series) 12 pages of assorted graphics you are free to use on your art projects. Instructions on how to woodburn right through the special paper on which they are printed or trace using graphite or carbon paper. |
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# AGS 075 |
How to Create Beaded Gourds
by Kathy James - $6.00 (#16 from the Primitive Originals Workshop Series) 14 pages of Step-by-Step Instructions, Background History, Huichol Bowls, Beaded Egg Gourds, Decorative Beading, Plus 2 Design Patterns. |
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# AGS 080 |
Complete Book of Gourd Carving
by Jim Widess & Ginger Summit - $24.95 This book is 192 pages of color pictures showing many designs that can be put on a gourd. There are 16 chapters plus an index. Topics range from Impressed Gourds to Deep Relief or Sculptural Carving. The Introduction covers gourds from all over the world, tools needed to do the carving, plus the preparation needed to make the gourd ready for carving. |
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# AGS 086 |
BEYOND THE BASICS -- GOURD ART
by David Macfarland - $19.95 The Art and Soul of Gourd Crafting. Develop your skills at enhancing gourds using a variety of appealing techniques. More than 20 innovative artists reveal their methods and influences, present examples of their distinctive work, and offer a series of original projects that you can create. With their guidance, you'll go beyond the basics of an imaginative craft. |
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# AGS 087 |
GOURD CRAFTS FOR THE FIRST TIME
by Marilynn Host - $19.95 Once you see how many beautiful decorative and practical objects you can make with gourds – using a variety of easy techniques — you'll want to begin crafting with them right away. With each technique, there will be an exciting project to complete, from ladles to a birdhouse. As you progress through the book, you'll use your new skills in more challenging ways, working on pieces that are increasingly complex and intricate. Bonus: a gallery of stunning designs by finished artists that show what can be accomplished with gourds. |
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![]() # AGS 088 |
GOURDS GO TO WORK
by Elizabeth Scesniak - $9.95 Celebrate your favorite professionals with easy-to-paint gourd characters designed by Elizabeth Scesniak. Great as gifts or office decorations, the 7 designs depict a postman, doctor, dentist, fireman, policeman, teacher, and nurse. Hardshell gourds of the Curcurbita Lagenaria Siceria variety are used because they last for many years and can be passed from generation to generation as valued collectibles and heirlooms. The book includes complete preparation and painting instructions, full-color photography, full-size patterns (with advice for sizing the patterns to fit various shapes of gourds), and a paint conversion chart. Have fun and enjoy painting on these hollow-hearted garden oddities! |
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![]() # AGS 089 |
HOMES FOR RENT CHEEP
by Elizabeth Scesniak - $11.95 Discover the satisfaction of painting an entire neighborhood of gourd birdhouses. It's a wonderful way to add color -- and history -- to your life. After all, gourds have served us well for millennia as water bottles, dippers, and storage containers. And even though the practical uses of hard-shelled gourds have been reduced by the introduction of modern materials, the esthetic appeal hasn't diminished at all. 7 birdhouse designs to paint on sturdy, hollow gourds of various sizes and shapes: Blue Cottage, Strawberries and Blossoms, Beehive, Sunflower, Roses and Buds, Multi-Flower, and Dogwood. |
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# AGS 090 |
MAKING GOURD ORNAMENTS
by Angela Mohr - $12.95 162 clear color photos and lively instructions teach readers to create imaginative and colorful Christmas ornaments made from hard-shelled, miniature gourds. The designs include birdhouses, snowmen, angels, tree balls, double tree balls, tree toppers,... |
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# AGS 091 |
HISTORIC GOURD CRAFT
by Angela Mohr - $14.95 A basic start for creating gourd vessels for theatre, history demonstrations, or reenactments. Using common sense and your own local history knowledge, these ideas can be tweaked to suit need. |
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# AGS 092 |
GOURD ART BASICS
by Angela Mohr - $14.95 In this new gourd book, author Angela Mohr demonstrates how to select and prepare gourds from the garden and demonstrates basic techniques for cleaning, shaping, and fixing gourds, which then can be decorated. This book shows inexpensive ways to work with gourds all the way up to using power tools. It also covers several ways to repair weak gourds that may have flaws or been damaged, helping people who want to save a damaged piece of gourd art that has sentimental value. |
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# AGS 093 |
GOURD PUPPETS AND DOLLS
by Angela Mohr - $14.95 These projects join two age-old skills: gourding and sewing. With simple techniques, you can combine gourds with a cloth body to make dolls or puppets to enjoy or give as gifts. In this Do-It-Yourself guide, you'll learn how to make: - a gourd ragdoll... |
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# AGS 094 |
MAKING GOURD HEADPIECES
by Angela Mohr - $14.95 Angela Mohr uses scraps and misshapen runts of gourds to make fun things to wear on your head. With simple tools and supplies already in the house or from a local craft shop, you can make tiaras, barrettes, seasonal headbands, and hatpins and also use... |
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# AGS 095 |
GOURD CRAFTS --6 PROJECTS AND PATTERNS
by Ro Shillingford - $14.95 Learn all the steps necessary, from the ground up you might say, to create wonderful art with gourds. Over 220 clear color photos and concise text explain how to create gourd bird houses, bowls, apple boxes, whimsy-bird vases, ewers, and scarecrow... |
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# AGS 096 |
DECORATING GOURDS
by Sue Waters - $14.95 Discover the wonderful art of gourd carving and produce gourd-geous results in a minimal time! Gourds grow in all shapes and sizes, and no two are alike. This book shows you how to prepare a gourd for decoration, and then lets your creativity soar!... |
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# AGS 097 |
KUMI-HIMO ON A BRAIDING DISK
by Kathy James - $14.95 Make Contemporary Braids Easily, Colorful Photos and Drawings Step-by-Step Instructions for Round, Flat, and Hollow Braids Using all types of inexpensive and fun yarns and cords, you can create lovely decorative braids with ease. Make one-of-a-kind purse handles, necklaces, belts, bracelets, eyeglass cords, fan pulls, bookmarks, pet leashes, drapery ties, scrapbooking cords, and more. |
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# AGS 098 |
CLIPART BOOK I
by Kathy James - $14.95 Royalty-Free Designs & Illustrations This is a resource for designs to be drawn, painted, carved, or woodburned on craft applications. It was especially created for use with translucent pyrography paper, like PyroPaper™. Information about this paper is included at the end of the book. |
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# AGS 100 |
MAKING GOURD DOLLS AND SPIRIT FIGURES
by Ginger Summit and Jim Widess - $24.95 Release the Spirits in Gourds by Turning Them into Dolls & Spirit Figures. If you're an artist looking to explore a versatile medium or are interested in making dolls with a remarkable heritage, look to nature's bounty. Learn a variety of classic techniques-from carving to sculpting-as you create a Kokeshi believed to protect children; a Green Man with four faces representing the seasons; a Matryoshka set based on the typical Russian nesting figures, and more. Complete with a gallery of inspiring work by talented artists, this unique guide will open your eyes to the design possibilities for a beautiful object. |
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# AGS 101 |
GOURDS
by Bonnie Gibson - $24.95 Create gourds with characteristic Southwestern motifs Gourds-with their infinite variety of unusual shapes and sizes, and their smooth surfaceshave provided a perfect canvas for artists in the American Southwest over many years. It's easy to carve, paint, and stain them, and add embellishments like beads and feathers. These beautiful projects, including rainsticks, masks, and bowls, reflect the traditional designs, techniques, and colors that are indigenous to this region. |
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# AGS 102 |
The Imortal Molded Gourds of Mr. Zhang Cairi
by Betty Finch & Guojon Zhang - $21.95 This is a book that no gourd lover will want to miss! Read and learn as Betty and Guojun detail the methods developed by our gourd manipulating hero, Zhang Cairi of Tianjin, China, to shape, train and transform gourds. Those of us who grow gourds and fancy playing around with the existing form would do well to study the information in this book and avoid wasting years of time. Mr. Zhang has dedicated many years to developing the techniques necessary to turn the common gourd into a highly decorative and functional piece of art. |
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# AGS 104 |
A Guide to Chip-Carving Gourds
by Marilyn Rehm - $14.99 Learn to use a U-shaped wood gouge to carve geometric patterns on gourds. Step-by-step instructions and 189 color images illustrate the projects ranging from birdhouses and bowls to ornaments. |
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# AGS 105 |
Chip-Carving Gourds -- Advanced Techniques
by Marilyn Rehm - $14.99 See foryourself what a gourd and a gouge can make. From jewelry to lamps to bowls, chip-carving has never been so easy. This step-by-step guide, along with 229 color photographs,· demonstrate the many different ways to design your gourd with only the simplest of tools -- no electric cords, no noise, no dust. 10 projects featuring bowls, birdhouses, and ornaments are included and a gallery of 15 color photographs. provides ideas for your own creations. Chip-carving on gourds is a gentle, relaxing handcraft that any beginner or seasoned gourd crafter can learn and enjoy. |
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# AGS 106 |
InLace Techniques
by Betsey Sloan - $12.99 This is the first comprehensive book written on the uses of InLace resin inlay for gourd artists and wood turners. Chapters present carving techniques in gourds, mixing resin, insetting, sanding, and polishing. Step ..by..step directions that can be applied to any gourd and projects from contributing artists are included, as well as six original designs for the crafter's use. The most common challenges working with resin inlay are addressed and eight gourd artisans and a wood turner share their experiences with this decorative inlay material. An extensive gallery of gourd and wood turned art will inspire readers to add personal touches to their projects. A resource list guides readers to suggested supplies. |
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# AGS 107 |
Holiday Fun Painting Christmas Gourds
by Sammie Crawford - $14.99 Want to create your own Christmas ornament or decorations? Sammie Crawford, the Fairy Gourdmother, shows techniques for painting gourds for Christmas ornaments and decoration. She takes you through step-by-step, in this new do-it-yourself, from tips for selecting the right gourd to paint to the kind of paint and brush you should use. The 11 projects feature several ornaments including the Lifesaver Tree, the Nutcracker King, and the Peppermint Santa. A gallery of completed projects will inspire your own ideas for a Gourd Christmas Ornament or Decoration. |
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